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15M hits later, YouTube Symphony makes live debut

Even before they played their first note together, they were listed as one of the world's most inspiring orchestras.

Part publicity stunt by its producers, part vanity trip by its participants, part opportunity to attract a younger crowd to classical music, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra made its much anticipated debut Thursday night at Carnegie Hall.

In the four months since the project was announced, more than 3,000 videos submitted by amateur and professional musicians from 70-plus countries were auditioned.

Voters among the 15 million viewers of www.YouTube.com/Symphony selected the 93 winners, who ranged from ages 15 to 55 and included a surgeon-violinist and a professional poker player-cellist.